Always Never Enough
by InBetweentheKeys
Summary: In the end, all his efforts ended similarly. Always the same solution, always the same cause-to-effect.. but... In the end, it was always never enough. Post-Journey's End, bit of an AU. Doctor/OC, past Rose/Doctor Rated T for later chapter
1. Preface

**DISCLAIMER:**I DO NOT OWN DOCTOR WHO! I don't technically own anything here except for the plot. :P Not entirely sure that my character counts as an OC, but for everyone's sake, I'll say she is. Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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In the end, it was always bound to happen. Maybe not in this way, maybe not at this time; but it was always meant to be this way. It just had to be, simply because it always was. The curse of the Time Lords- he would always have to outlive them. All of them.

So, he sat there. He couldn't think of anything to say; not this time. He'd been able to justify the loss of his people, always talking down at everyone in his path... At least, until Rose came along. Rose Tyler. It wasn't just their hands that they had joined in Henrik's that day. But after he lost her... He just wasn't the same.

Even after losing her, though, he had some way of telling himself that he would be alright. After all, he was a Time Lord: he was always alright. He would lie to himself and everyone else, convinced that it was only a little longer until he would move on. Yes, he would move on... but then, he found _her_. He should have known better. Should have actually thought it out and weighed the consequences and...

What was he thinking? If he **could** go back on his own personal timeline and rewrite it, it wouldn't be to keep them from meeting or to make himself forget. No. It would be to tell himself that he was an idiot for treating her the was he did. To tell himself not to let her leave him, since nobody seemed to follow the 'don't wander off' rule by themselves... To tell himself not to let her anywhere near this fight...

What lay before him now broke his hearts, both of them, clean in half. This may not have been the first time he had lost someone, but... this was possibly one of the worst. Not even possibly: this was _definitely_ the worst way he had yet lost a companion- a friend... because she wasn't gone yet.

The Doctor had been sitting some distance away from the two clouded figures in the street. The invasion of Earth had nearly succeeded, but the Oncoming Storm was going to make well sure that it didn't. One of the figures he instantly recognizes; the tall woman was bent over a dying metal body, consoling what once had been the bright face of her own daughter.

Abruptly, she straightened up into a standing position and locked onto the Doctor, coming toward him in great strides. "She wants you. Said she won't be talking to anyone else now," her stern tone quivered for half a second-only a half- before she took off. The brunet stood quietly after her departure, wiping his drooping bangs from his forehead before making himself go to the last place he actually wanted to be.

A few words passed between them before he soniced her wiring, cutting her off from her suffering. She didn't deserve it-never had. Couldn't deserve it even if she had known exactly who-_what_ she was.

Of course, his suffering wouldn't end anytime soon. He would never be able to silence all the screams that echoed through his head- ringing in his ears until he was either too old to remember or dead trying, still, to quiet them. He had accepted that fact sometime after the war; he just needed to be reminded every so often. Reminded that, no matter how old or dry or justified it became, he would always have that blood on his hands. One little sink and a coat of the humans' strange little inventions of liquid soap wasn't going to help him. Nothing could.

In the end, all his efforts ended similarly. Always the same solution, always the same cause-to-effect... but... In the end, it was always never enough.

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**[A/N]** Sorry, guys. I know this is really, really short. But considering that the first chapter is going up today, also, I don't think that's really too much of a problem! At least, I hope it's not.. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! Reviews are very welcome!

~Keys


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:**GUESS WHAT NOOBS! Still don't own any characters in Doctor Who, or the general idea whatsoever! This chapter is very long and quite exciting, if I do say so myself.

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No matter how many times he went back, how long he pressed his ear to that wall and hoped for the slightest sound of anyone in Pete's world with nothing but the promise of silence, the Doctor couldn't force himself to come to terms with it. Rose Tyler really was gone. But maybe, just maybe, she had listened to him for once and believed that this was better... If only he could believe himself...

This certainly wasn't this first time he had returned to Canary Wharf, 2007. His visits increased drastically after the meta-crisis and all that mess. He really wanted his Rose happy... he just sort of wished somewhere deep inside, that it was because of him. The real, proper him; not that clone...

One hand leaned against the wall as he inhaled. This would be the last time. Just like every other "last time," except he would actually follow through with it for once. Just this once, maybe. But, no. He could already feel his resolve shattering; he had to leave now.

After finally ripping himself away he returned to his TARDIS, who greeted him with a muted hum. He let a hand linger across the console before rounding to the control seat and just plopping down. He didn't know where to go, there was nobody to tell him... Nobody to enjoy it.

Eventually, he set the coordinates to random and held onto the console, a dull expression plastered to his face. When she landed, the Doctor ran a hand through his hair and made himself go outside. He had to keep moving, had to keep seeing things- no matter how old and familiar they became. He took in his surroundings before deciding where he had ended up. The year 2012, London, England, Earth.

She had begun her day like she did most days: get up, get showered, get to work, go home. Hers was just a small flat, but a cozy one, no less. Her mum lived a couple floors down from her, but that didn't make their interactions any more friendly. Her mobile let off a few vibrations before the redhead answered. "You're up, excellent. Best be getting off, then. Goodbye." Click. Sure she was used to this... but when, exactly, had her mother become so... distant? Oh, right. When her dad died; how could she forget? It wasn't like her mum didn't remind her every time it was possible.

It took thirty-some odd minutes and a bit of a jog to get to the place she worked. It was just a shop; simple, but it did pay decently. "Hey, get in! Afraid you was gonna be late, I was!" her supervisor beamed at her. The response was a light shrug followed by, Sorry, sir. Missed the bus."

Time ticked by slowly, as usual. She watched the clock religiously until the time she could return home, if only to restart the cycle. That was, until evening came.

Dark had settled in, and she needed to go downstairs for something. She had forgotten her jacket the previous day and with the terrible rain coming on, she wasn't about to do it again. When she stepped out of the lift, though, she could swear she heard animals down there. Dogs, bu the sound of it. She hated dogs...

The woman had to do some digging through the lost-and-found before actually finding what she came for. Slipping it on, she made her way back toward the lift... It was definitely louder. And darker, much darker. Maybe the lights just needed replacing. Either way, the lift wasn't coming quick enough for her liking. Those dogs were getting closer, but something was off. All the barks sounded exactly the same-the same volume, same pitch, same distance... She took one last frantic glance at the still-moving lift and made a mad dash for the door. there was one down there, she knew it... she just couldn't remember which way to turn once she got to the end of the hall.

The dogs were following her now, although the barking was still the same. She could vaguely hear it between the throbbing of blood through her ears while she ran.

Something barely brushed her calf, causing her to yelp and turn her head, but nothing was there. That didn't slow her in any way, and especially not when she felt it again. She drove herself forward with every single incentive she could think of, but she was still too slow. One of the well-camouflaged dogs bit hard into her right calf. Even though it let go, she lost her balance trying to escape on her now-injured leg.

The woman nearly fell before a hand wrapped around hers and, although she couldn't see his face, his voice stabilized her. One word was all it took: "Run!" Hand-in-hand, they raced through the halls-being followed, of course- until they reached the double doors both had been looking for.

The door slammed and she began to really feel all the muscles in her lower leg. Well, she could feel all the ones that had large volumes of blood draining from them. Her vision blurred for a moment, then she began to see double silhouettes of the man that had just saved her life.

That was the last thing she remembered before she woke up... somewhere. Her eyes blinked open, clenching shut again at the intensity of the light above her. Footsteps met hear ears before she dared open them again. "Ah, so you're awake," that voice again... "Good."

The woman forced her eyes open to see a brunet man in a pin-striped suit and trench coat. "Who are you, then?" she eventually managed to ask. "I'm the Doctor," he said cheerfully, but she could see something.. something in his eyes. He was't as happy-go-lucky as he was trying to act. "Right... uhm, Doctor who?"

The Doctor grinned; yes, he had been waiting for that. He loved that question. "No, just 'the Doctor,' if you don't mind," he replied. The look on her face... The Doctor's expression fell just a little. She looked like-no. Probably just his imagination.

"Who'd you lose?" the woman broke his thoughts and his head snapped back up to look right at her. "_**What?!**_" "Who'd you lose?" she repeated herself, cocking her head to the side. "I know tha' look, right there. You've lost someone dear to you. An' I'm willin' to bet it was recent..." His eyes widened at the knowing of this girl. Should he answer her? Should he tell her it was none of her business?

"Sorry," she basically answered for him. "Sorry, tha' was a bit personal. Forget I asked," She even sounded like his Rose... He shook his head of the thought.

"No, no; don't be. She was a... friend," he answered her. That's all they were, right? Friends. Nothing more... That was when the young woman attempted to sit up and stretch. She let out a yelp and looked down at the heavy bandages on her leg. "What were they? I mean, in the basement last night..."

The Doctor took a glance at her. Red hair, bright green eyes, and freckles were the only thing separating her from his Rose. Same face, same words... "I, uhm... Dogs, that's all. And rabid ones, at that," he lied. "Right," she drawled. "You don't believe that at all, do you?" he chuckled. "It was like I was bein' attacked by... by the dark," she told him. She couldn't be crazy... Couldn't be.

"Alright. Those were the Vashta Nerada. Usually thought of as the piranhas of the air. Shadow creatures, and fast as they get. I'm amazed you outran them for as long as you did," he explained. "That, or they were just playing with their food first..." "But then, if they're shadows, how d'we stop 'em?" she frowned. That was the Doctor's cue to shake his head, "Already taken care of. But you may want to look for work somewhere else. Torchwood sort of... Let's just say they like their bombs..."

She shot out of the little hospital bed, eyes flashing dangerously. "You blew up my job?!" Her anger was short lived, as she landed hard on her bad leg.

The Doctor helped her back onto the bed. Why was he even still here? Usually, he would have just dropped her and ran. But something was pulling him in. He had to be sure she was safe... "Okay, ow... ow!" she winced before sitting down again. Those shadow things had taken a big chunk out of her leg.

That was when he got an idea. "You know, I have much better equipment in my ship... I could fix you up now, if you like." She gave him a funny look before speaking. "Your _ship_?" she asked, testing how that particular word sounded. "An' wha' are you, then? An alien?" she joked a little, clearly not ready for the answer. "Yeah, I suppose. But where I'm standing, you're the alien," he told her, totally straight-faced.

"But- I mean.. You look human, though!" she protested, but the idea sunk in. "Do I?" he challenged. That shut her up. "Mm... Alright, _**Doctor**_; fix me up, then. An' let's see this 'ship' o' yours." She spoke confidently and outstretched one of her hands.

She woke up at home. Nothing on her leg but a lightly scarred area. Right, then; work. She got ready and was about to go, but she received no answer when she phoned in about being late. Not even a dial tone, just nothing. The woman huffed in annoyance, then remembered. _Torchwood sort of... Let's just say they like their bombs..._ Yeah, that.

She frowned and headed out anyway. Or, at least, she was going to. The moment she opened her door, her mum was waiting. But it wasn't just her, no, she was holding a familiar man-alien by his collar. "Care to explain this man wanderin' about this hall an' pacin' in front of your door?" she spoke incredulously. "Mum..." she groaned. "Launais Vilks!" her mum snapped, causing her to flinch. At least the Doctor wasn't really paying attention.. So she though, anyway. "That's your name? 's a long one, care to repeat that?" he sort of joked. "You will address her as Miss Vilks, nothing less," her mum just kept on.

"Mum, leave 'im! He helped me out a bit last night. Saved my life," she said the last part quieter than the rest. "But why is he here _**now**_?" the elder woman pressed. "Just checking up on her. Can you _please_ let me go now?"

It took several minutes to make her mother leave, but after that she sent a sharp glare to this... Doctor. "How d'you know where I live?" she hissed. "I didn't 'til you opened the door! I was tracking a signal, I swear!" The girl frowned at his volume and pulled him inside her flat, closing the door quickly. "Hush! Now, Doctor, you tell me who you are an' what's goin' on!"

"Told you, I'm the Doctor. Must be a bad signal," he began rattling off about needing a new something or other. She cut him off, "This is just for reference, but d'you ever shut up?"

The brunet just grinned. " 's not likely, Miss Vilks," he popped his consonants, causing her to roll her eyes. "Right, then. Wha' is it you're lookin' for" "Told you; bad signal. I don't know what it was- just showed up." It was clear that she didn't quite believe that. She then noticed the red area on his cheek and stared for a minute, figuring it out in her mind. "Did she smack you?" the redhead asked, placing her hand over her mouth to try to barricade her laughter. "Yeah..." he mumbled, rubbing the spot with the heel of his hand. "My mum smacked you?!" she wasn't even trying to hide it anymore; she was almost in tears from laughing. "Always the mothers.. Always!" And then they both heard it. Growling.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he went rigid. "Miss, I would suggest that you stay very still for a moment," he cautioned, noticing a door behind her with a shadow on it. A moving shadow. "Alright, I am going to open this door, and when I do you grab my hand and we run. Count of three," he explained. Just as he was about to start counting the lights flickered off. "Three! Allons-y!" he urged and flung the door open, arm outstretched. She took it and the bolted down the stairs (four flights of them) and outside. It was a blackout; the whole city was out of power... but for some reason, it was also dark outside... An eclipse?

The Doctor stared at the sky before dragging her along behind him. "Are they in every shadow?" she called up to him. She barely heard his reply. "Not every shadow, but any shadow!" The sound of that odd barking was amplified about five times over the past night. She looked ahead to see a little blue box on a corner, and that's where they were headed.

"Doctor?! How exactly is a wooden box goin' to help us?" she cried. He just flashed a grin over his shoulder and quickly opened the door to push her in. She was in awe as she entered. "Huh? B-But I..." she said intelligently. "Oh, just say it! Come on, it's my favorite!" the Doctor was acting like a small child. She gave him a look before being just as childish and mocking to zip her lips and lock them. The brunet just stood there doing his best impersonation of a goldfish.

Then he remembered, shadow creatures and no sun. Right. He began flying around the center console and flipping switches and such. "Right! The Vashta Nerada are all swarmin' the city; shadow creatures raiding the earth. What's their one weakness? Light!" he started to rattle off, leaving the human in the room totally lost. He seemed to be enjoying his little conversation with himself. "Alright, Miss Vilks. Let's not keep this a monologue; I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but let's avert the crisis first, alright?"

The redhead gave a slight nod before trying to keep up with him. "Alright, so they blocked out the sun, but wha' with?" she asked. The Doctor was practically at the controls, typing away. The room wobbled a little and the two of them had to hold on to the control center until it stopped. "Brilliant! That's the kind of question we need to be asking, there! By the way, you're in the TARDIS; that's Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Welcome aboard!"

"Oh... yeah, thanks," she mumbled, still taking it all in. "No," he gasped, brown eyes becoming bigger than they already were. "They're blocking the sun, alright. They're blocking it with themselves." The woman stared on in shock. "What? But, if they're shadows, wouldn't it be-" "A suicide mission? Yeah, that's it exactly."

She came around to look at the screen and couldn't help but notice all the skeletons littering the street. "Are they...?" "Yeah... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Suddenly, the TARDIS jolted and sent them both flying into the wall. The woman heard a loud crack in the room and looked at the Doctor, who lay there unconscious. "Doctor! Doctor!?"

The last thing she remembered was fear and a golden glow.

The Doctor woke to find the door of his TARDIS open and that red-haired woman passed out in the way of it closing. All the Vashta Nerada were gone, the only evidence of them being a few skeletons... Okay, a _lot_ of skeletons. he pushed himself to his feet and went toward the human... No, that wasn't quite right, was it? He chuckled to himself as he picked her up and placed her safely inside, listening to the door close on the way up the ramp. the girl began to stir a little once he had put her down.

She woke up and began rubbing her eyes, feeling the cold floor beneath her. Her head was pounding, and she nearly fell over trying to get back to her own feet. "Hey, easy there. You took quite a knock back there," that voice... She took a grip of one of the nearby bars. "Ugh... Yeah, I feel it. Wha' happened? Last I remember, you were out... an' there was a singin'..."

The Doctor smiled nostalgically at those words. He couldn't help it; only problem was, he had no idea what happened to the Vashta Nerada... He decided that it must have been Torchwood finally doing something right, for once. "Yep, I sang a song and they all ran away. How's your head?" "Fine, fine. Are you alrigh', Doctor? You seem sorta... I don' know, out of it?" "I'm always alright! No worries. Now, hold on," he told her, eyes focused on all the switches he was changing.

She seemed wary, but grasped onto the bar nearest to her. The whole room began wobbling as they waited. "Alright, then; here you are. Back at home." The redhead gave him an incredulous look as she went back to the doors and swung them open. Sure enough, they were in the alley next to her flat. "But, how did you?!" she sputtered out. "It travels in space. And believe you me, I can go much further than just a few blocks," he answered, a devious grin across his cheeks. "Can you, now?"

The Doctor nodded, knowing exactly where this was taking him. He couldn't take someone else. Not after... no. "Well, I best be off... Got a new job to hunt down thanks to you!" he could tell she was only playing, but her smile... That tongue-in-teeth smile that he was so familiar with, but... it wasn't because of this girl.

Then, he broke. "Y'know... I could show you, if you want," there went his "no more companions" resolve. The female's grin faded into confusion, "Hm?" "Space, the universe. I could show you... If you want." The redhead seemed to be weighing it out in her head. "Is it always gonna be as dangerous as it was today?" she asked quietly. The Doctor broke into a ride grin. "Yep."

Luckily, she smiled back; until she remembered. "I, uh... I can't. Got me mum downstairs..." she mumbled quietly, her smile fading entirely. "Y'know, I do believe that I've forgotten to tell you... but it also travels in time!" That was all she needed to come running back inside the TARDIS. "Oh, by the way, it seems I've forgotten to ask your name."

"Hm? Oh, it's Rose."

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**[A/N]** Alrighty, now that you have a bit of the story, I can explain this. I had an idea a while back about if the Doctor met up with another girl named Rose, what would happen. I've got some major things in store for this little ficlet (and it _is_ a ficlet, definitely) that I can't tell you about yet, sorry! So sorry, but SPOILERS! So if you don't like the idea, bear with me on it, because I promise it isn't as bad as you may think. And if you think it's that bad, tell me! At least then, I will know what to avoid. Anyway, see you next chapter (probably in a couple weeks since this one is so short) and hope you guys liked it!

~Keys


	3. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:**DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO!

**By the way, this chapter has some things that people tend to get a little upset. I promise that there is a reason, and a good reason at that. Just stick it out for me!**

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Four Earth days had passed since Rose Vilks had begun travelling with the Doctor. Not much had happened, yet, considering he couldn't decide where to go first. She had gone home to get some of her clothes, and he had shown her the Time Vortex and a glimpse at Queen Victoria in her prime... But nothing truly exciting had happened. Not yet. Not that Miss Rose seemed to mind. She could stare out at the stars all day and perfectly happy. In fact, that's what she had been doing, mostly.

The Doctor strode around the console, fingers skimming across some of the controls. He sighed to himself, still unable to believe the situation he had landed himself in this time. Her name was even the same as his Rose. Something obviously wasn't right. He again trusted that it was only his imagination that brought his Rose to light. Maybe he just missed her... Yeah, that was it.

Suddenly, the TARDIS jerked violently, throwing him all around the room. "You stop that right now! D'you hear me?! Stop this now!" he snapped, scolding the console like a small child. Some time later, the constant tossing and churning came to an end. A very-dizzy Rose came into sight from one of the halls, holding her head. The Doctor could have sworn that her eyes were gold under a certain light. "What was that, Doctor?" she mumbled, setting her hand on a nearby column for balance. He tried to smile, "Sorry, love. Adventure is waiting!"

Rose grinned a little at that. "So? Where's we at, then?" she asked. "Not sure, yet! Hold on," he hummed, pulling an image on his little screen. "Can't tell from in here. Let's have a look-see!" he said excitedly. He even, much to Rose's amusement, skipped to the door, tan trenchcoat billowing out behind him.

He poked his head out of the door and then turned back to her, closing the door lightly behind him. He forced a bright smile while he finally answered. "May want to change! We've landed in Towton, March 29th of 1461. Got ourselves a battle coming on!" He ran down the hallway, urging her to follow. Maybe if he acted like there was nothing wrong, it would become so?

Rose chased after the Doctor, gasping in pure awe at the huge wardrobe she had just entered. "You should be able to find some dresses further up. I think two levels should do it." The redhead ran up the stairs, quickly finding said dresses. There were even labels on which age they belonged in.

When she came back down, the doctor had to really conrol his grief. She was dressed like a noblewoman of the age- definitely beautiful. "So? What d'you think, Doctor? Fit for 1461?" she twirled around a little and ended in a courtsey. "You look beautiful," he said sincerely. All he could see what _his_ Rose before they'd defeated the Gelth. Even down to their laugh. But the next was what hit him the hardest.

"Considerin' what?" she asked. He half-expected to be hallucinating and see his Rose- blond, brown-eyed, and in the 1860s- standing there. Had he really said that to this poor new girl? Before he realized he had even said something else she spoke again, clearly amused. "I think that's a compliment. Aren't you going to change?"

Thankfully, the deja vu ended at that bit. "Hm? No, no. Should be fine," he forced the words out. Something was definitely wrong here. Or maybe it wasn't. It had to just be him. Had to. "Doctor?" she was curious to something- he could hear it in her tone. "Yes?"

He finally looked up at her when he noticed that she was staring at him. "Have your eyes always been tha' color? I coulda sworn they was brown..." He gave her a look. "They are brown." "Not anymore! They're blue now." He was about to reply until the sound of cannons' fire crashed through the air. "Think we'd better go," the Doctor grinned, heading out through the console room.

Rose quickly followed his lead outside. It was snowy everywhere, glistening in all places. "Thought you said it was March?" she murmured after catching up to him. " 't is. March 29th, 1461. It's the day of the Battle of Towton- possibly the largest, bloodiest battle ever to be fought on English soil- during the War of the Roses."

The awed look in her eyes left a genuine smile on the Doctor's face. Maybe, just maybe, he could pretend that this was his Rose. He did a little experiment and held his arm out for her to take, which she did, and continued to explain their situation. "Fifty-thousand are about to engage in this fight, twenty-eight thousand of which are going to die before morning. It also set Edward IV on the throne."

After a few minutes of silence and Rose wondering if the Doctor needed air at all, he continued. "Of course, the war doesn't end for another twenty-four years at Bosworth Field, officially setting Henry VII on the throne and establishing the Tudor dynasty," the brunet rattled off. "Also, it was called the War of the Roses because the two houses'- Lancasters and Yorks- heraldry were roses. Yorks were white and Lancasters were red. When Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York, the heraldry became-" "A red and white rose," she cut him off. The Doctor sent a glance her way, noticing the small grin aimed up at him. Then, she sunk back from her confidence. "Right?" she asked in a small voice, trying to avoid what had become staring.

"Yes," he chuckled. "You're right, don't worry." Again, he thought he saw that little gold glimmer in her eyes. Another cannon sounded and he shook the thought away. "Right, war. Should probably get... what's wrong?" the Doctor noticed her intense stare. "Rose?" he tried again.

"That statue just moved," she stammered, pointing to an angel in the cemetery across the street. The Doctor took a look in that direction, immediately seeing the two angel statues with both hands over their eyes. "Alright, Rose; stay close to me, don't let go of my hand. And whatever you do, don't blink. They can only move if you aren't looking."

Instantly, Rose felt his hand slip into hers and he led her backwards through the fifteenth century village. "Doctor?" she spoke quietly, as if being any louder would make the angels come for her any faster. She blinked, by accident, and gripped his hand tighter. "Doctor? weren't there two angels? " She asked, but received no reply. She tried a different question. "Where are we going?" "Back to the TARDIS. At least, you are. I've got to get them out of here."

Rose stopped, "You're not leavin' me there. I'll help, just tell me how. 's what I came for, yeah?" The Doctor reached the end of their arm spans and sighed, "Can't kill 'em, Rose. 's impossible to kill a stone. They touch you and you get sent back in time... Only creatures in the universe to kill you nicely. They send you to the past and live off all the days you might've had."

"Righ'... How d'we get rid of 'em, then?" the redhead frowned deeply. "Figuring that part out. I could disintegrate them, but as soon as I look away they'd reform."

"That's not exactly gonna help us, then, is it?" she huffed. The Doctor let out a bit of a chuckle and he felt her back into him. "Doctor? Could be helpful if you turned to 'elp me watch it," she was nervous. "Remember how there were two? Let's say I just found it's friend." "So, we're trapped?"

"For the moment; yeah, tha's right," he grinned. She could hear it. "Doctor? How fast can they move?" "Faster tha-" "Nevermind!" she squeaked out, her back pressed fully against his now. "Is it looking at you?" Rose had to stop herself from turning to look at him. "Thought it couldn't?"

"If it gets clo-" the Doctor cut off, reaching a state of hyper vibration from his epiphany. "Alright, Rose. I've got it, okay? We're going to blink. Very quickly, but make sure you don't look at their eyes. Try the shoulder. Just, wait until it looks at you; tell me when it does, okay? Now," he let out a deep sigh. "Blink." After she did, Rose shuddered at just how fast they really were. It was halfway up the street now. "How close?" "Halfway up." "Blink."

Now the angel was only a short distance from her. "How close?" Rose was obviously afraid; she was shaking a little bit. "Rose, how close is it?" This was one way he couldn't compare this girl to his Rose. His Rose wouldn't have been quite as... Then he remembered her expression at the first place he had taken her. The end of the Earth... Yes, she had been that afraid before. Yes, even _his_ Rose.

The Doctor took both of her hands and laced their fingers, "Rose, we are fine. But you've got to answer me now." He could feel the air she let out before finally saying it. "Not... not far." "Alright, one more time. Blink," he gave her a light squeeze and grinned when upon opening his own eyes again. "I... It's lookin' at me. Tryin'- to touch me," he heard her voice shake. "Alright, we are gonna get out now. Don't stop lookin' until we are all out of the way."

"Doctor, what's with the accent?" she asked. "What about it?" he responded. "Well... You didn't sound like a Northerner a minute ago, so wha's up?" Although it was made in attempt to calm herself, it did the Doctor no good. He could only hear the valiant shouts and cannon-fires of the history happening around them. "On my mark, to your left. One, two, three!" The Doctor pulled her out and once they were, he took a glance. "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic!" he started laughing.

Rose let out a breathe she had forgotten she was holding, then started laughing along with him. The Doctor grinned at the ginger, instantly about to grab her up in a hug. But then, he remembered something. "We're trapped between two Weeping Angels, and you're askin' about my voice?" "I told you, y'haven't always sounded like tha'. If you're an alien, how comes you sound like you'se from the North?" "To answer that: lot's of planets have a North, thank you very much."

Wait, he thought. He'd had this same conversation before- the exact same.. Something really wasn't right. This wasn't just a coincidence, someone or some_thing_ was tampering with his memories. When could it have made a mental link, though? Unless, someone had messed with... Someone was using Rose's- _his_ Rose's memories.

He looked at the redhead in front of him. This wasn't a trick, her eyes were definitely gold now, just beginning to fade into their usual green. He needed answers, sure, but he was going to try an experiment first. "D'you know who I am, Rose?" Rasillon, he could hear his voice changing... Could he be...? No. It wasn't possible.

"Well, you tol' me you're the Doctor... But who are you really?" she jumped right in. Yep, gold eyes were back. The Doctor told her the exact same thing he had to his Rose. When he finished, her eyes flickered and became a dark shade of emerald. This time, though, a shimmering gold ringed around the edge of her pupils. He wasn't the only changing; this wasn't right.

Seeing as there was nothing else disturbing this point in history, the Doctor grabbed onto her forearm and pulled her back in the direction of the familiar blue box. Once inside, he shut the door and set the TARDIS into the Time Vortex. It was time to deal with this girl- whatever she was.

"Alright, spill it: who are you, really?" he snapped. She was confused. "Your real name's not Rose, is it?" he accused. She gaped at him, "O' course it is! Why would you say somethin' like that?" "Bollocks! What's your _name_, and don't even try to tell me again tha' it's Rose!" his voice raised. The girl shrunk back and frowned. "My birth name was Launais Vilks, but I didn't like it. So I changed it to Rose a few years ago, 2007 if you would like the year. My family moved to London before I was born, but wanted to keep the names traditional. Happy now?"

It was clear that this Rose, who had stormed off now to go change out of her fifteenth-century garb, didn't know anything. At least, not consciously. He was going to need some help with this one. The Doctor started to move about the console, but his clothes... They were a bit tight. When he looked at his hand, it looked a bit bigger than her remembered. And a bit olde- no. He ran in a mad dash to the wardrobe. Anywhere with a mirror. He got there in a few few minutes and nearly choked upon finding his reflection.

That mirror had to be lying. It couldn't be real; it just _couldn't_ be. There he stood, staring at a face he hadn't seen since Satellite 5. Of course, the suit looked absolutely ridiculous... But, why had it happened? _**How**_? He just stood in front of the huge mirror, jaw slightly dropped in horror. He didn't even notice when Rose came up behind him. Of course, she knew less of what to say than he did.

"D-Doctor?!" she forced out, pushing her bangs back from her face as if the image would change. "Yeah, Rose?" he mumbled out. She was just as frightened as he was, maybe even more so. "Wha' happened t'you?!" she took a step back. When he finally managed to look back at her, he answered the only way he really could.

"I think... I think I just reverse-regenerated."

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**[A/N] **Alrighty, my lovelies. I told you that there was a touchy thing there with the whole reverse-regeneration thingy. I know that kind of thing bothers some people, but just wait for it! It gets really good!

Love you guys, review and favorite and stuff please!

~Keys


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING DOCTOR WHO OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

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"If I knew why, I wouldn't be here, now would I?!"

Rose sighed to herself. They had been in Cardiff for three days now. After the Doctor changed into clothes that fit him a little better, he had run into the console room and set the coordinates for Wales. He said he would be getting answers here, but so far it had only been a shouting match. Every day. For three days.

She could barely make out the words from the TARDIS, where the Doctor insisted she stay. He told her to keep inside and to not be seen. Rose would pass time any way she could, and he would come back grumpy and very tired-looking. He looked at her so strangely when she suggested the idea of sleep to him. "I don't need _sleep_, my superior biology makes up for that. What I need is time to think without certain _humans_ tellin' me what t do." The second night she had asked, he just snorted. "I haven't changed my mind, little miss. And I don't plan to, either. Just stop trying, alright?"

This was the day she was going to go out there and find out some things. Even if he ended up dumping her back on Earth in her own time... but she didn't really want to think about that possibility. Rose poked the TARDIS door open a crack. When she couldn't see anyone, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

It wasn't hard to find the Doctor and his argument partner. They were so loud- all of Cardiff could probably hear them screaming back and forth. Rose came to an open doorway, and saw the Doctor's back immediately. She also saw his "friend" (who was quite attractive, by the way). He saw her very soon after she came to the doorway, and she watched him just stare at her.

Soon enough, though, he snapped out of it and a wide smile broke out on his face. The Doctor had seen this change and turned around, frowning and crossing his arms when he saw her. "Rasillon! I told you to stay in the TARDIS!" She opened her mouth to say something, but he got to it before her. "Do I have a red sign on my forehead that says 'Don't listen to me'?" She didn't answer this time.

"Come on, Doc; give her a break. Not everyone can stay cooped up in that box for as long as you do," the other man said, striding toward her and taking her hand up. "Captain Jack Harkness, Miss...?" Rose blushed slightly at his actions, but gave her name. "Rose. Rose Vilks," she smiled sheepishly as Jack pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Once he heard her name, though, he turned to face the Doctor again. 'Rose?' he mouthed the word back at the Time Lord. 'Does she-' he started to ask silently, but was cut off. "No," the Doctor said curtly. "Doctor..." Jack tried again, but the other didn't acknowledge him at all after that.

"Right, let's have it, then. What could be _so_ important that you had to leave the TARDIS, even after I clearly said to _**stay**__**put**_," he enunciated the last two words very harshly. He gave a smug smirk when the young woman flinched. "I..." she paused, noting the expression on the Doctor's face. "I could hear you two fightin' from inside; I wanted to see why."

"I think anyone would've," Jack defended her from the Time Lord's temper. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I just... I hate the idea of anythin' happenin' to you when I could be there... if I could keep you safe," she confessed. The Doctor stopped in his pre-meditated speech about stupid apes and just stared. What could he say to that?

Totally forgetting the thin line between Rose Tyler and Rose Vilks, the Doctor pulled her into a crushing embrace. "Don't you ever worry about me, Rose. And I mean _ever_," he almost whispered. The ginger woman slowly returned the hug, smiling a little. His tone was no longer angry, just soft. "You just worry about yourself, right?"

Rose never answered, not even when they pulled off of each other; she just smiled. She was glad that he had calmed down. "Right then. Maybe if we all work on this, we can fix it, yeah?" she tried to keep him in this state of mind. She beamed when he returned a smile and nodded.

Jack, Rose, and the Doctor all sat at a table and began "brainstorming," but got nowhere with it. "Okay, Doc. Why don't you tell me the whole story. What happened the first time you thought something was wrong?" Jack tried. The dark-haired man grudgingly complied, though he left out most of the parts with Rose.

The woman had a thought suddenly. "Wait... All this started back on the TARDIS, 'member? Tha's when your eyes wen' blue," she cut in. "What were you doing right before that?" Jack pressed. Rose frowned at that. "Nothin' really. Jus' talkin'..." she answered. The Doctor looked up to the ceiling, "And she noticed my voice change a bit later that day, too." "What about then? Were you doing anything then?" Rose shuddered at the thought.

"Angels. We were trapped between two o' those stone angels," her voice came out as a whisper. She really had been scared there. "Weeping Angels. Right nasty situation," the Doctor followed, unable to hide the grin that was taking hold of him. After a while, the entire conversation became nothing but laughing and joking at each other. Hours passed in the way, even so long that Rose decided dinner was in order. Of course, the Doctor and Jack both kindly declined her offer to cook for them, as well.

The moment the two men knew she was back inside the TARDIS, they got very serious. Very quickly. "Doctor," the American accent punched through the air. "I have to know... Did you... Did you do that on purpose?"

Blue eyes fixed on the table. "No. Total accident. I didn't know her name until I already asked her to come along... I mean, I sort of did- just not her first name."

There was a silence after that. Then, Jack spoke again, "They're a lot alike, huh?" Something in that statement sparked the Doctor's temper. He didn't know whether it was his tone or just the fact that he already knew it and was denying it completely. "Don't you dar, Con-man! She is _**nothing**_ like my Rose. Nobody will ever come close!" he snapped. The American kept an even tone. "But it's easy to forget that they're different, isn't it, Doctor? I've seen you look at this girl, how you act. You're trying very hard to keep them separate, but it's not always that easy. I saw you forget right before my eyes."

Jack had to keep himself steady here. Someone had to make him see that what he was trying to do was wrong. This poor woman was going to grow over-fond of someone who didn't even see her. Someone who only saw her like a ghost. Even Jack had to keep telling himself that she wasn't Rose Tyler. It was hard, but the Doctor wasn't even trying.

"I don't for-" "No, maybe you don't. But did you ever stop to think that maybe she has feelings, too? She isn't Rose Tyler, so stop pretending that she is!" Jack finally let out. Ultimately, it wasn't fair to either of them. Not to the Doctor, and not to the redheaded Rose... but...

"No," was the Doctor's response. Jack froze. "No, I won't stop pretending. Maybe if this goes long enough.. Maybe if I forget a few things and lie for a while, maybe I'll believe it." "You know that's not true," the human frowned. "Isn't it, though?"

"Doctor-" But he was cut off. "You saw yourself how easy it is..." The Time Lord kept his steel-blue eyes fixed on his hand, which were folded in his lap. "Think about it, though. Is it really fair to her? Do you even know a thing about her?" Jack pressed on. "Her name is Launais Vilks. She changed it a few years ago 'cos she didn't like it," the Doctor muttered.

Jack Harkness' eyes widened considerably. "Say that again..." "She changed it?" "No, her name. What was her name?" When the Doctor repeated it, Jack grinned widely. "What?" the older asked. Jack just shook his head and stood to leave. "Nothing, Doc. Goodnight."

The Doctor followed suit and made his way to his TARDIS. As soon as he entered the console, the smell of food hit him. It smelled good, he had to admit... Where was Rose, though, he wondered. Shrugging mentally, he decided that she must have gone to bed. It was nearly two in the morning, so that had to be it.

Morning soon came, followed by afternoon, and still no sign of Rose. Only now did the Doctor start to worry. He asked the TARDIS, but even she couldn't find the human. He ran outside to tell Jack, but found them both together in one overstuffed chair, Rose curled in the man's lap. She was still asleep from what he could tell. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to know.

"What'd you do to her?!" he growled, temper immediately dissolving. "Shush! She just fell asleep again and I don't need you wakin' her up. Found her in the corner over there sobbing from a nightmare 'cause she didn't want you to see," he shot a glare at the other, pulling Rose closer to him. His Rose never had nightmares... Did she? Maybe he just never paid attention... "Here, let me take her. She's got a bed inside..." the Doctor tried. His statement was half actual concern and half jealousy.

Jack frowned, but eventually gave in. "Might as well... I've got to get to work," he sighed. In a slow pace, they traded parts and shifted the redhead. "Be careful, she isn't a very heavy sleeper," Jack warned. The Doctor held her close and turned back into the blue box. He hadn't known that.. It wasn't his business to know that, but then again... it wasn't Jack's, either.

Once inside, the Doctor carried Rose down the TARDIS hall and to her room. As he was transferring her to the mattress, she stirred slightly. "Hm... Doctor?" she mumbled.

The Doctor gazed at her once he had laid her down. She was actually still sleeping, but he answered while pulling a blanket up over her. "I'm here, Rose. Right here," he nearly whispered. She rolled over a moment later and he knew she was going into a deeper state of slumber. "Sleep well, my Rose." He knew what he said. He knew that pronoun didn't belong to this red Rose. But he had said it.

He was about to leave her room to move the TARDIS, but he noticed just what her room looked like. It had a red rug covering most of the hardwood floor, and the walls were a burnt orange. But what struck him was the painting covering one whole wall... It was of a great glass dome in the valley of two very familiar mountains covered in red grass and silver-leaved trees. The Doctor fled the room quickly, unable to keep his mind straight after seeing exactly what the TARDIS had done to her room... but why? The old girl always made a room feel like home... So why was hers of...

Shaking his head of the thought, he ran to the controls and set them in the Time Vortex. They wouldn't go anywhere until she woke up; he could probably wait that long. A few hours into his growing restlessness, the Doctor heard a blood-curdling scream. She was safe, he knew that, but... Jack said she had a nightmare...

The Time Lord went to her bedroom door quickly, knocking on it gently. "Rose? You alright in there?" When she didn't answer him, he made to walk away; but, then he heard that little sniffling coming from the other side. Crying, she was crying. He shoved into her room and saw that she was still asleep. "Rose; Rose, wake up.." he frowned deeply, shaking her awake. It made his hearts stop to see that face in such pain, such distress... He hadn't since he had talked to her at Darlig Ulv Stranden. After some time, Rose peeked up at him with glassy golden-green eyes. "D-Doctor?" she sniffed, her panting trying to return to normal breathing. "Yeah, I'm here. Right here," he assured her. Rose trying to smile while wiping the heel of her hand against her wet cheeks. "Just a bad dream, yeah?"

The Doctor offered a slight smile before he sat on the edge of her bed, opening his arms for her. She gratefully let herself fall into them, trying her best to keep it together. When she finally relaxed some, she could feel his heartbeat. It was rather arrhythmic, she though as she lay curled against him. "Doctor?" he voice was so near a whisper. "Hm?" he replied casually. This would have been normal with his Rose. "Why's your heart so... fluttery?" She was close to falling asleep again.

A low chuckle resonated with the heartbeats. "I'm an _alien_, remember? What if that's not a heart?" he teased. She looked up at him groggily, to which we responded by giving her shoulders a light squeeze. "I'm joking. I've got two hearts, actually. One here," he told her, taking one of her hands and moving it to the upper left side of his chest for her to feel it. "And one..." he trailed off, sliding her hand a little lower and to the right side. "Right here." His tone was smoother than velvet. The cross between him talking so softly and the sound of his hearts beating effectively lulled her to sleep... again.

It was clear by how tightly she held him that he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon. The Doctor finally managed to shift so he could lean back on the headboard while she slept on him. If he lied to himself, maybe the guilt would go away... but what would _his_ Rose have thought?

Two weeks passed effortlessly for the two time-travellers. It had been nearly a month since the incident with the Vashta Nerada. Suddenly, though, the two found themselves on a planet called New Earth. The Doctor insisted it was only to check up on a few things, but Rose knew better. Se had seen him beating the controls of the TARDIS with his mallet. He also insisted that she stay inside and wait for him- because that was always so easy to do.

However, when he realized that she had been following him the entire time, he told her that all was well and they went on a walk together. The Doctor was careful to explain every last detail of New Earth's history, even New New York, though Rose stole his favorite line. "So good they named it twice." To which he responded by explaining that it was actually the fifteenth New York. Their conversation eventually led to one he could certainly not avoid.

"That's amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet, different sky... What's that smell?" Rose inquired, eyes gleaming with curiosity. The Doctor grinned, doing his best to duplicate the very same conversation with his Rose. "Apple grass." "Apple grass," she echoed, eyes glinting and burning gold while she processed it. "Yeah, yeah," he continued the deja vu. The conversation ended there, but the walk continued, both hand-in-hand.

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**[A/N]** Hello, my lovelies. Thanks for reading this ^-^ I hope you liked it! Please review and such for me! Tell me what you think :D New post will be up soon, I swears. In the meantime, feel free to read my other stories! Loves you all.

~Keys


	5. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:**I DO NOT OWN DOCTOR WHO UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER. GOOD DAY.

**OTHER GENERAL WARNINGS: This chapter contains some real smut and general implied smut, so if it offends you, DO NOT READ IT. Also, if you are a young reader, I encourage you to just forget all this ever happened and leave this page. **

**This entire chapter has a rather dark feel throughout it, and it can get very intense in certain places. Be prepared, should you decide to continue. Have a box of tissues, something. **

**If you're still here, enjoy.**

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The Doctor stared at the ceiling. He had just woken up, and what he saw hit him like a ton of bricks. He was lying next to rose, in her bed, both of them naked. He could even see, over the curve of her shoulder, his discarded clothes from the previous night. Rasillon, what had he done? This was beyond crossing the line- this was pissing on the line from the wrong side. He wanted to stab himself through both hearts... Jack had been so right; this was too far. And not at all fair to this Rose. His biggest fear: what would happen when she woke up?

He groaned mentally, about ready to rip his hair out. He and his Rose had never even come close to this- they might have one day, but never before... He was still trying to place what had sparked him into this. This wasn't his Rose; similar face, yes. Similar body, yes... But to force all of that emotion and grief and loss onto this poor woman... Sure, he cared deeply about her. Maybe even loved this Rose- but the pretending stopp-

"Doctor?"

***15 Hours Earlier***

"So, Doctor; where to next?" Rose grinned, pushing a strand of bright red hair behind her ear. They were still breathless from having just returned from an attack on the Autons. The tall man raced around the console, already having an idea in mind. "You should change- we're going somewhere _very_ cold!"

Rose nodded and dashed off to the large wardrobe. She returned moments later with a coat and a rather long striped scarf. The Doctor almost smirked at this new development. He had seen her eyeing that particular article of clothing several times, but she never had a reason for it. Now she did. "Nice scarf. Come on, then," he chuckled, extending a hand to the redhead.

What lie beyond the familiar wooden doors of the TARDIS took her breath away. "This is the planet Woman Wept," he told her, giving her a brief history lesson as the walked along the frozen waves of this 'new' area. Rose peered in amazement at every frozen wave and storm, taking it all in by the golden-green eyeful.

Eventually, the two came to rest upon one of the taller waves, the Doctor spreading out a blanket for them to sit on. She gave him a look before he tugged at his pockets, "Bigger on the inside." That was all it took for her to begin a giggling fit. He tugged her down into his lap after he took a seat, the woman resting in the circle of his arms. They'd now been travelling together for somewhere around six and a half months, narrowly escaping their deaths at least three times a week in that time.

He had asked her several times if she wanted to go home at all- even just to visit. She always said no, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She once answered with, "I can see all that ever was, all that is, and all that will be. And I would rather see all that opportunity than the cynical woman that's taken over my mum." "What about your dad?" he had asked, not even thinking. She told him that he was gone; her mother the only family she had anymore.

"Rose?" the Doctor began. "Mm?" she hummed, looking up at him through dark eyelashes. "Merry Christmas," he told her, skipping a beat before he smiled down at her. He could still remember how much his Rose loved Christmastime. As planned, the woman beamed at him, eyes nearly as bright as her smile. It was then that it all started. Then, when he leaned in a little too close. Then, when she followed his lead. Waiting.

This kiss was soft and sweet and only then did the real problem begin. The Doctor couldn't get enough. He fixed his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer to him, earning a little smile from her. They broke only a second for needed air, but when he leaned down to capture her lips for the second time, Rose wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him a little closer. The Doctor sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, using her involuntary gasp to his advantage. Both tilted their heads for a better angle as his tongue pushed against hers and began the war for dominance. Moment later, both pulled away- breathless.

The Doctor stood up carefully, setting her on her feet after finding his own. She seemed a bit confused, but her told her the risk of some great fatal sickness she might catch if they were to stay outside for too long. Because the wave was so steep, he slid down first to catch Rose if she happened to slip. He watched her begin down the frozen hill, at the ready for her to come tumbling down. What he hadn't expected was the ice to shatter around the base of this particular wave and all the ice- plus Rose- to plunge into the near-freezing water.

He dove in soon after realizing that Rose wasn't a very good swimmer under half a ton of ice, bringing her up to the surface and having to carry her, unconscious, to the TARDIS.

Thankfully, she woke up inside, halfway to her room. He insisted on staying while she changed, though he promised to keep his back turned, to make sure she was alright. It only took a few seconds for her to agree after the mention of going to the med-bay to check for hypothermia. Unfortunately, the long wait made him unable to keep that promise of his. The Doctor could hear Rose's frustration with the buttons of her soaked shirt and trousers, and as his resolve crumbled, he decided to help. The Doctor turned to face her, replacing the near-blue hands with his steady ones. Both looked straight at each other's eyes, Rose fighting down a mad blush. Or at least, however much of one her chilled skin would allow for.

Rose never got into new clothes. The Doctor, after totally discarding her shirt, had pulled her into a bruising kiss, leaving no room for argument. Marks were left all over her neck and shoulders by the time the rest of her clothing had gone. He wished that he could day he had been gentle. But everything about this was filled with resentment and grief.

Which leads to his current situation.

"Doctor?"

He couldn't even make himself look at her. She took his general silence as a sign to continue. "Doctor... Your friend that you lost... she... she looked like me... Didn't she?"

The Doctor couldn't bring himself to lie to her anymore... To hurt her anymore. He'd been willing those pained looks away for the past months. He knew she was suspicious... it was coming and he knew it. "An'... I bet her name... It was Rose, too, wasn' it? Tha's why you and Jack both froze up when I told you my name." The knowledge behind her words stung. "Rose, I-" the Doctor began, but couldn't finish that sentence. Not when he was saying it to those big golden eyes. He noticed, as the time went, that the green part of her irises was waning, and the space filling with gold.

"I understand missing her, especially after the metacrisis... but I have to know... When you look at me, do you even see me?" she called it out as easy as he did history facts... But how did she... "How do yo-" "Know about that? Last night, you made a link between us- telepathic- but you fell asleep right after. I suppose you wouldn't remember, but I remembering seeing it... everything. I saw nearly everything swimming around in that head of yours, _Theta_," she emphasized the last word.

After a few moments of him doing his best goldfish impersonation, Rose rolled out of the bed and gathered some clean clothes, pulling them on along with her trainers. "Doctor... Take me home. Please, just take me back home," she pleaded, running out before the tears in her eyes could actually fall. He got up stiffly and dressed himself, as well, trying not to think.

He knew it was coming. It was only what he deserved. What else could he do, anyway? He had tried, in that last month, to see her as Rose Vilks- to see her for who she was, and not just for who he wanted her to be... The Doctor went to the console room first, noticing her sobbing form on the ramp by the doors. Her back was to him. He wished he could comfort her, release some of her pain... but how could he even start to?

When the footsteps finally registered in Rose's ears, she wiped her tears with the heels of her hands, trying to keep quiet. The TARDIS landed after a few moments, but Rose couldn't move. The Doctor decided to take advantage of this and sat next to her. "Rose... I- I don't..." he let out a heavy sigh halfway through. "Look, there's really no easy way for me to say this, but I'll do my best. There is absolutely nothing I can do to make this up to you. No way to make up all the lies, the faking... but you have to know that if there was a way, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It's unfair that I treated you the way I did, and I know that. But if there is anything. Anything at all..." he trailed off, his last sliver of hope withering.

"Just... tell me you're sorry," she said, eyes totally golden now. She look at him through those big, glassy eyes. He took both of her hands in his and sighed lightly. "I am. I'm sorry. And I absolutely mean that, Launais Vilks."

She almost changed her mind at the thought of him talking straight to her. But no, she kept her decision- her promise to herself. It was better this way; better for both of them. Although Rose gave him one last smile and a kiss on his cheek, she slipped her hands from his and stood to leave. "This is goodbye, Doctor. I'm really sorry... but I hope you and your Rose can find each other again. Thank you for everything."

Rose's hand hit the door about the time she felt something around her neck. She looked down to see a silver key. One she knew as the TARDIS key. "Doctor.. I can't." The Doctor hushed her. "If you ever need a safe place, ever, just set it close to a radio or a phone. Anythin' with a battery. Just do that for me, Rose. Stay safe."

The door closed behind her, and the Doctor watched her go back to her flat. She would get to be happy now. Maybe find someone who could treat her better than he had, although that wouldn't be hard. Maybe someone closer to her age, too. And human- well, if this 'alien' couldn't have her, neither could the rest of them.

Not that they would go looking for her, though. At least, they wouldn't with him out of the picture. Maybe she'd even get to retry that whole "normal life" thing. The Doctor collapsed into the control seat, leaning as far back as was possible. It wouldn't be long now until Rose was back. They almost always came back. Any minute now, he thought.

The Doctor had waited for hours for Rose to come back. They always came back. Rose Tyler would have come back. But this Rose didn't. He ran a large hand through what short hair he had, blue eyes fixed on the console. She really had left him... and that was the difference.

There was a knock at the door, and it almost got his hopes up. But Rose had a key. "Doctor! Doctor, if you can hear me; we really need you out here!" That was Captain Jack Harkness. The Doctor opened the door and stepped out beside the man, but the moment the sunlight hit him, he got a pounding headache. A headache? Time Lords don't get headaches, he thought. Then he saw the trouble. Cybermen. There must have been hundreds of them just on the one street.

"Where did they even come from?!" the Doctor asked. "Still trying to find out that part. Apparently these were hiding away on another planet, but we can't trace them before that," Jack explained. From how still they were, the Doctor inferred that they were awaiting orders. But the Cybermen weren't the only ones coming for Earth. The Doctor could even feel the other ships whizzing around. He could recognize Daleks, Sycorax, Sontarans... They were all there, but what for? "Jack?"

"Yes, Doctor?" "You were... right," he didn't particularly enjoy the feel of that sentence in his mouth. "I know." With that over, the Doctor noticed he vision becoming a little blurry. Now his eyes were bad _and_ he had a headache...

"What do they want?" the Doctor wondered out loud. "They said something about a power source. A massive power source that couldn't run dry," Jack sighed. "Must be a good one if they're all out here." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wisp of gold fly up to the clouds from a few blocks away. "Or a god," he mumbled under his breath. "Doc, you know what that is?" Jack was staring in the direction of it, too. "Yeah, that's..." he began. Then ithit him. "Jack, what was so funny about Rose's name?" "You're bringing that up _now_?!" "Just tell me!" he snapped. "I just thought it was ironic! It's Latvian for 'bad wolf.'"

The Doctor's eyes widened- his fear had come true. "What's going on?" Jack demanded. "Bad Wolf is a god. A god that Rose Tyler created by looking into the heart of the TARDIS. The god that brought you back to life and made you immortal. I absorbed a lot of the Time Vortex from her, but I couldn't take all of it... Some must have followed us back to Earth. Bad Wolf was smart, though. Used her remaining energy to create a body and some memories around it. The only form she knew, though, was Rose Tyler and the single woman that she decided to imprint her false memories onto. When she found me, though... She could feed off of my regeneration energy!" his eyes lit at his discovery. Jack processed it all, slowly taking it in.

"She's been using my memories of Rose Tyler to tap into my regeneration energy- the first face my current face had seen- to bring herself back! But, then... if she's fully back now.." The Doctor frowned deeply, blue eyes growing in horror. "What? What's wrong?" Jack had only seen that look once before. "That's why I've been going backwards. But I died in this regeneration. If I don't get that energy back soon... I'm going to die."

Another mist of energy rose up into the air and the Doctor started to move in the direction it came from. "Doctor! Wouldn't she know, though?" Jack called. The Doctor shouted one word back over his shoulder before he began running, "Nope!" He ran toward the skyscraper, just inside when something horribly wrong happened. His eyes had failed, and his head was rushing now. Burning. He slid down the nearest wall, which he recognized to be metal. Probably the lift. It was around that time that he heard the battle begin. Guns and lasers and the metal men marching.

"Is someone out there?" a small voice asked. The Doctor couldn't figure where the voice was coming from- his senses were failing altogether. "Yeah, I'm right here," he said, his head dropping back against the door of the lift. "We're all going to die, aren't we?" He knew that voice... Or at least, he thought he did. Maybe he didn't- it was all so muffled now. It sounded like a small child, maybe only seven or eight. "You think so?" the older asked. "Yeah... I was comin' down to find my mum, but the power's gone.. What about you, sir?" The Doctor sighed, pulling his legs up to his chest.

"I lost someone, too. Of course, it's my fault that I lost her," he told the young one. Sounded like a little boy. " 'ow's that, sir?" the boy asked. "Well, let me tell you a story. There was this man- a gardener. He had a big greenhouse, and his favorite plant out of all of them was a white rose. He didn't plant it there, it grew up from the ground. But he took care of it, and it stayed alive and beautiful for a long time." He paused for a moment. "What happened to it, sir?" the younger pressed.

"Well, right on the other side of the glass was another greenhouse. It was empty, but the two were joined by the one glass wall. One day, the gardener went to take care of his rose, but it was gone. It had died on his side, but that particular rose had been growing on both sides of the glass. He could see the rose, still, but it was in the empty greenhouse. He couldn't move it from his side, because it would shatter the wall it was growing on. And he couldn't go get it because the greenhouse was locked." The Doctor couldn't hear the light footsteps approaching him.

"Of course, he was devastated. But a few days later, he found a red rose growing exactly where the white one had been. He was so happy, but... He tried to make the red rose white. He tried and tried and tried, but he knew it would always be red. One day, though, he tried too hard... and the next morning when he came back, the rose was dead... and he finally realized just how beautiful the red rose was... but it was too late."

When the Doctor finished his story, he felt one single, solitary tear slide down his face. What the little boy said next made him laugh, even if only for a second. "I don't like that gardener very much... Doesn't he know how much prettier red roses are?" The Time Lord could hear the pout. "He does now," he chuckled.

A moment later, he felt a thud next to him, followed by arms wrapping around him. "And aren't I glad t'hear it..." she mumbled. The scent, he knew it anywhere. It was Rose, his red rose. The Doctor smiled uncontrollably, holding her close to him. "Doctor, why you jus' sittin' here? We've got to go!" she urged. "There's a boy somewhere in here... and..."

He couldn't tell her. If Rose didn't know what she was or how powerful she had become... "And what, Doctor?" He let out a sigh, "I can't see, Rose. I'm totally blind. I'm dying..." He could hear the choked sob. "No... No, you aren't. You can't jus' die on me, Doctor. We all need you... I need you." "Rose, listen. Before I go-" "Don' say that!" "Rose," he spoke firmly this time. he was nine-hundred and three, perhaps it was his time. "Before I go, I just wanna tell you: you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And d'you know what?" he paused. If there was one last thing that he could do, it was make sure that Rose reached her full potential. Bad Wolf needed to be awakened.

The Doctor listened to her sniff and felt her shake her head. "So was I!" he grinned, burying his face deep in the crook of her neck. One heartbeat. "Doctor... This is my fault, isn't it?" she asked over the stomping of Cybermen coming closer. He knew she had done it. She was complete- Bad Wolf had returned. Rose leaned in to whisper in his ear, his senses almost completely faded out. "With all due respect, Theta, I think _you_ need a doctor," her voice reached through and chilled him to the bone. He knew the Cybermen were there now; it was only a matter of seconds.

The kiss was warm and a little wet from where she had been crying. They both knew what was coming. She was jerked away from him suddenly; and before he blacked out, the most sickening sentence echoed in his ears.

"You will be upgraded."

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**[A/N] **So... This chappie here is the entire reason that the fic is higher rated than my others, but I felt it was needed. The only reason that top part is necessary is because he had to have some sort of weight on his actions, and that's quite the large weight... Anyways, feel free to be awesome and tell me what you think! I shall love you all forever!

Goodnight to the world and such, review (I'd love some followers, by the way) and read and love. We're almost to the end of this little ficlet, so I hope you like it.

~Keys


	6. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN DOCTOR WHO!

**Sadly, we are at the end of this little ficlet... Feels-a-plenty, and such. Hope you've enjoyed it! **

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Strangely enough, the Doctor woke up in the TARDIS, back in his tenth regeneration. Had that all really been a nightmare? No... There was still screaming... and marching- the cold thunk-thunk-thunking of Cybermen patrolling for any survivors of the initial attack. When he took a good look around, he wasn't in the TARDIS at all. He was still lying in the building where... where Rose had found him again. But if he was alive, that would mean that... "No!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. All of the regeneration energy had returned to him, and although he was happy to be back in his tenth body, he didn't want the cost to end up being Rose. No, it _wasn't_ going to be Rose.

The Doctor sprinted outside, hearing a great clattering noise as all of the metal bodies dropped in unison. One, however, caught his attention. He recognized the woman bent over it, for sure. That was Mrs. Vilks... but surely...

Jack Harkness came to stand at his side. "We were messing with the switches at their main base... One turned their souls back on, and now they're all dying... That one there has been asking for a Doctor. _Her _Doctor, more specifically- but she kept correcting herself because her Doctor had died... You should... Just go," the ex-Time Agent coughed, then disappeared into the city. It wasn't long before the tall woman saw him and came to tell him that he had been requested. It took everything he had to force his legs to where he was needed.

The Doctor knelt down beside the meetal suit, resting a hand overtop of the main circuit... He would have to... shut her down. But not before she spoke. "D..oc..tor?" the way that word was broken through the steely echo of the Cyberman voice... it made his hearts stop for a moment. "Yes? I'm here, it's your Doctor here." "Why am I cold... D..oc..tor?"

Realization his him hard. She had to have known that he wouldn't really die. "Oh, Rose," he half-sobbed. "My dear, sweet Rose... I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." And with that, he shut down the suit's functions, wiping his face of any sign of his lament.

As the Doctor cleared his head a little, he really started to think about what had just happened. Rose knew that, after her completion, she would have to choose between her life and the Doctor's. And that stupid girl had chosen him... Bad Wolf had chosen him, but what for? What could he do now?

Oh, right. His temper problems, which would be kicking in in about three... two... one.

Jack Harkness knew that look on the Doctor's face. The Oncoming Storm was about to kick these aliens back where they belonged. He followed after, very large guns strapped on either side of him. "Know where you're going, Doc?" he asked. The Time Lord returned an intense brown stare.

"I'm going to get in my TARDIS, go to that Dalek ship up there, and find out exactly why I am still alive," his voice was so low and so serious. Nonetheless, the Doctor kept to his word and went up to their ship, hiding hiimself inside one of the control panels. In fact, he smirked inwardly at the motherload of cords he had just found. Using his trusty screwdriver, he undid several of them, listening to a few of the metal-cased monsters screaming "exterminate" through the halls. So typical of them, really.

"IDENTIFIED AS THE DOCTOR! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" one shrieked. The Doctor turned, straightening his now-oversized clothes before following the few that had found him. Daleks like keeping it simple, apparently. This ship looked just the same as all that had come before it. They had a new emperor now, though. "DOCTOR! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" they all cried. Of course, they couldn't kill him like they wanted. Not yet, anyway.

For the moment, he just waved and grinned rather cheekily at all of them. Thn, he heard it- a heart-breaking scream of agony. He had only experienced it once before... but, it couldn't be possible. Of course, events around him always seemed to prove those sorts of beliefs wrong. He stared up at her in horror. Their power source, she was indeed. Of course, she couldn't have been dead; why hadn't he seen it before?

Rose was obviously unconscious, causing the Doctor to wonder just how long she had been connected to their energy-draining apparatus. It appeared that the only thing keeping her connected was the constant stream of time energy flowing out of her in all directions. It wasn't until things began catching on fire that he finally ran to her. The entire Dalek ship was falling to pieves around them, and only now did Rose begin to wake. Of course, it wasn't the red Rose he had come to care so much for. This was Bad Wolf, as well.

These Daleks ended the same way the fleet from Satellite 5 did. Disintegration by way of Time Vortex, of course, Rose had not done it on purpose this time. The Daleks had tried to power themselves off of her energy- which was already never meant to happen. In the tiny minds of these creatures, though, they had all been wiped out.

"Rose..." he mumbled, but she soon after fell unconscious again. The skinny Time Lord smiled in nostalgia before reaching his arms around to catch her, tucking that memory away. Soon, all would be right and it would be him and his red Rose in the TARDIS, together. Once she was awake, though, it was clear that it would be a short-lived happiness for him. She was fading... Not quickly, but she _was_ fading.

He assumed it was only right. Nobody was meant to have that power. But, still... he could dream, right?

"Doctor... This isn't really goodbye, y'know. I'll always be with you," she smiled. The brunet mussed his hair a little and gave a quick nod. "Yeah, I know..." The woman, who was lying on the bed of the TARDIS med-bay, smiled knowingly. "Can we go to my room? I mean... It's beautiful in there- looks just like I figured Gallifrey would..." she requested. He obliged and helped her down the hall and through her door. She patted the bed next to her once she was settled, wanting him to sit beside her. "Y'know... I've got this secret... Thin' you can keep it?" her grin was infectious, that adorable tongue-in-teeth smile. "Of course you can," she answered for him. "I've got this little problem, see. And I thin' you can tell me wha' it is."

The Doctor was confused, but let her take his hands and place them on either side of her neck. He was more confused when he felt nothing, save for a single strong pulse. Just as je was about to question her, he felt it. That ever-familiar arrhythmia as the separated into ttwo solid, identifiable pulses. His brown eyes turned the size of dinner plates.

"But... how can you-" He was cut off by Rose giving him a soft kiss. "Shhh... I can't explain it all right now. Basically, Bad Wolf made a body after Canary Wharf because she couldn't follow Rose Tyler through the void. She just couldn't complete it, which is why she fed off of you. When it was complete, it became a Time Lord's body instead of human," she told him quickly, smiling brightly at him.

"So, because you used me, your body soaked up Time Lord DNA? Does that mean-" "That I can regenerate? Yes, absolutely. I just..." she trailed off as she faded a litle more. He could see right through her now. "Doctor, this body is failing and I already used a ton of energy to bring you back. Bad Wolf doesn't want to die, so she's going to use up the rest of her energy to patch me up... Only thing is that it's going to take me away for a while. I'll be safe in the void a few years... At least, until my own energy is restored. Then I'll be able to take care of this all on my own," she finished explaining.

"I don't know how long it will be... But when I come back..." she started, looking hopeful. "You are going to travel with me. No choice," he grinned, winking at her before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "When I come back, I would love to travel with you... To hold your hand and be sure that even though everyone else will grow old and die, you won't be alone." She was almost gone now. But the Doctor managed a true, genuine smile.

"I'll find you soon," she promised before fading out entirely. "I'll find you soon," he echoed, only sitting there a moment before he grew restless and went for the console room. He had time to kill- and lots of time, at that. Lots of adventures to go have, as well. Universes and such to save. And if he remembered correctly, some dying to do. Lots of time would pass, he knew that was almost certain. Right now, he had to go find a way out of his death.

Even as he lay there mere days later, gun slipping from his hand, he thought of that day. He couldn't die here. Not before his red Rose came back. Nobody was going to knock four times- he wouldn't let that fourth knock come until after she was found.

Years and years passed since he had lost his red Rose. He was beginning to wonder if she was really coming back. He wanted to believe that it was coming, but there weren't even minor little blips coming from the void... What if it had taken her? What if Bad Wolf had lied to her about fixing her?

The Doctor strolled down the street of some marketplace on a croded planet. It was a trade planet, mostly. Pleasant enough day, for once. Not too much wind or sun or cold. It was quite nice. Once he started really thinking, he laughed to himself. He was 907 years old; had it really been so long? He had gone through a regeneration, as well... What if his red Rose found him, but didn't recognize him?

He looked up at the mass of people around him, catching one woman in particular. His eyes grew wide as he stared, trying to maneuver around the crowd to get a closer look. Her hair was a little darker than he remembered, but when he saw her face... It was a little different, but those eyes were unforgettable. He pushed through the crowd, trying to catch up with her. "Rose! Rose!" he called, but it appeared that she couldn't hear him over the bustling of everyone else. He tripped a few times, but eventually caught her in front of something that couldn't deny his presence. She held a glowing key in her hand, eyes wide at her discovery. The Doctor was right behind her now, trying to keep quiet.

Rose reached out to place her key in the lock, but the Doctor clicked his fingers and they both watched the door creak open. The redhead turned to face him, eyes lit up when she realized that it was him.

The Doctor smiled, relieved at the sight of her. A thought hit him; the universe was trying to split them up, and it had succeeded once. He wasn't about to let it happen again. The universe was after the blood of all his happy endings, but this one... He would hang on to this one with all he had. As he and his red Rose caught each other in a long-awaited embrace, he smiled brightly. He took in her scent, breathing out gently. "Rose..."

They could throw anything at him now, and it would always be the same.

Always never enough.

" 'ello, again, Doctor..."

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**THE END.**


End file.
